10Methods and Tools to Secure ICS

10.1. Identification of assets

A prerequisite for any risk analysis is to carry out an inventory of the installation. This involves identifying the elements of the control system and its interfaces with, on the one hand, the physical world and, on the other hand, the world of data processing. This inventory includes links to the business computing system, Internet access, remote connections by modem or via other types of connections and exchanges via removable memories such as USB sticks.

System components are hardware components, software components and communication equipment. Human elements can be added to it. It is also useful to identify the material and logical links between the machines. We get what is called a mapping of the facility.

If the cybersecurity study takes place as part of the design of a new facility, there are documents describing the functionality and planned implementation. There is also usually a functional safety study on which to base it. In the case of an existing installation, the description of the installation will be based on the actual installation and the various documents available.

First, it is necessary to define the scope of the study: it is chosen to contain all the critical part of the facility or infrastructure (networks, transport, electricity, etc.). If the installation is complex, it may be advisable to divide it into subsystems, if possible by grouping by criticality levels.

The description of the ...

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